BenU at Mesa students choose first-ever student senate officers

November 18, 2013

Mesa, Arizona ~ Benedictine University at Mesa made history this past fall when it opened its doors to students for the first time. Now these students are forging some history of their own by electing the campus’ first-ever Student Senate officers.

“I am a first-generation college student. I am a pioneer for my family,” Carrazco said. “I did not choose to run for the glamour. I decided to run because I want to make a difference. I want to help my new home grow.”

Carrazco, a graduate of Mesa High School and a Nutrition major, has worked on political action committees and political campaigns as an organizer and volunteer.

Laura Sanchez, a Communication Arts major also from Mesa High School, was elected vice president of finance for the Student Senate. She already has a plethora of ideas on how to help build the student body’s sense of community and get students engaged on campus.

“I want to help our new Mesa branch community grow immensely. I would like to see how some traditional college norms (like school clubs and activities) intertwine with the nontraditional (like lecture-free classrooms),” Sanchez said. “I am very excited about making history.”

Sanchez, who was involved with student government and Model United Nations at her hometown high school in Lynden, Wash., before transferring to Mesa High School, said she plans to work to integrate student engagement with academic success.

“There are many things we all hope to achieve, but I believe the No. 1 goal for our BenU community in Mesa is to have academic success with the PBL (Problem-Based Learning) classroom structure, which allows students to prepare for the real world,” Sanchez said.

“At the same time, I plan to focus on the Benedictine values by helping us grow as individuals, physically, spiritually and mentally. I hope to achieve these things, as well as help the City of Mesa grow and make our branch campus grow in population and in recognition of excellence.”

The third executive member of BenU at Mesa Student Senate is Marlo Enrico, vice president of marketing and communications. Enrico, a Mountain Pointe High School graduate, has declared Communication Arts as a major, and is confident and passionate about her commitment to fostering student achievement – of others and her own.

“I am truly passionate about what the school is doing and I wanted to do my part as a student to help in any way that I can,” Enrico said. “I want to build up student life, emphasize the importance of giving back to the community and help the students build both educational and spiritual knowledge.”

Enrico, who has experience as an officer for Mountain Pointe's Distributive Education Clubs of America – an international student organization which helps prepare students to be business leaders – and as a member of the Students Against Destructive Decisions organization, plans to focus her efforts on the core Benedictine value of service to the community.

“I want to get the school involved in community service projects. As a member of a Catholic university, I think it is important to give back to the community around us,” she said. “I want to see the students getting involved in clubs, sports and other opportunities. The more you are involved in your school, the more positive your experience is going to be.”

Officers will meet with other students to discuss the structure of the first student body organization for the Mesa branch Campus, organizing spring elections and recruiting student body representatives.

Benedictine University at Mesa provides a private, values-based education grounded in history, heritage and Catholic tradition. Current degree offerings include a Bachelor of Fine Arts, Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice, Bachelor of Arts in Communication Arts, Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, Bachelor of Arts in Theology, Bachelor of Science in Nutrition and Bachelor of Business

Administration in Management and Organizational Behavior, in addition to a minor in Religious Studies.

The University is accepting applications for spring enrollment.

For more information about Benedictine University at Mesa, please visit the Gregory Enrollment Center at 51 E. Main St., Suite 105, in downtown Mesa or www.ben.edu/mesa, or contact (602) 888-5500 or mesa@ben.edu.

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Benedictine University at Mesa is a branch campus of Benedictine University, an independent Roman Catholic institution located in Lisle, Illinois, just 25 miles west of Chicago. Founded in 1887, Benedictine is ranked No. 1 among the country’s fastest-growing campuses between 2000-2010 in The Chronicle of Higher Education’s list of private nonprofit research institutions, and Forbes magazine named Benedictine among “America’s Top Colleges” for the third consecutive year in 2013. Education and technology blog edcetera named Benedictine University at Mesa among 10 universities in the nation on the cutting edge of tech for 2013.